Belichick: 'Full speed ahead' in Jets preparations

"Even though we're familiar with them and they're familiar with us, it feels like every time you play a team, games go a lot differently," Belichick said.

No matter how well they know each other, and how diligently they prepare, some new twists are sure to pop up.

"You've had 16, 17 games, whatever it is, not counting preseason, and another 100 and some practices, so I think everybody probably has got a lot of options in their playbook or in their system," Belichick said. "It's a question of what you want to do, what you feel like is best to choose from."

As usual, he preferred to talk about his own team rather than the opponent.

So "you have to ask" the Jets if the recent rout will have a lingering emotional effect, he said. And he sidestepped a question about New York coach Rex Ryan saying Patriots quarterback Tom Brady gets more help from Belichick than Peyton Manning gets from his coaches on the Colts.

"I just try to coach our team," Belichick said. "I think you have to ask Rex or somebody else about that. Whoever said it, whatever the context was, I don't know."

His task is getting his team ready to face Ryan's team again.

That includes making sure young players who have contributed so much this season - rookies such as Devin McCourty, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez - know the difference between the regular season and the playoffs.